UConn game at Stanford sold out

The University of Connecticut women's basketball game against Stanford at Maples Pavilion Dec. 29 is sold out, the Pac-12 school said Monday. The Cardinal have won 82 straight home games, the longest active streak in the nation, since a loss to Florida State in the 2007 NCAA tournament. UConn holds the NCAA record for longest home winning streak at 99.

The Stanford-UConn game will be a 1-2 matchup if both teams win their two games this week. The No. 1 Cardinal are at No. 21 South Carolina Wednesday and at No. 10 Tennessee Saturday. Second-ranked UConn hosts Oakland (Mich.) Wednesday and visits the University of Hartford Saturday.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Geno Auriemma owns a restaurant at Mohegan Sun Arena but that doesn't mean he's always a gambler when he's guiding his University of Connecticut women's basketball team.

The Hall of Fame coach had seen an 11-point lead get away from the top-ranked Huskies and No. 2 Notre Dame was threatening to take control of their matchup late in the first half Wednesday night. Would Auriemma take a chance and put Napheesa Collier back in the game with two fouls? The sophomore forward had been on the bench since picking up her second offensive foul in eight minutes of the first quarter.

"In a game like this, the fouls are going to be there because it is a physical game," Auriemma said. "There were times I looked over at her and there were a couple of times just in turning I saw her mom and dad (Sarah and Gamal) sitting behind the bench and they were obviously disappointed. I could tell. I felt like saying, 'Yeah, you should see how I feel.'

UConn beats Notre Dame, extends winning streak to 83

By Carl Adamec | Dec 7 | 10:56PM

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Connecticut women's basketball team's winning streak is alive.

Gabby Williams and her fellow Huskies would not let it die.

Williams played 40 minutes for the first time in her career and had 19 points to match her career high, 12 rebounds, six assists, two blocked shots and a career-high matching five steals as No. 1 UConn broke away from a late third-quarter tie to defeat second-ranked Notre Dame, 72-61, Wednesday night before a sellout crowd of 9,149 at Purcell Pavilion.

TV Timeouts: Get to know the UConn women's team

Dec 1 | 11:55AM

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UConn TV Timeout: Natalie Butler00:01:32

SNY.tv profiles UConn center Natalie Butler in the latest TV Timeout.

You've seen what the UCONN Women's Basketball team is like on the court, but what about off the court? SNY.tv's TV Timeouts provide an in-depth look at the players' personalities, hobbies, thoughts on Coach Auriemma and playing at UCONN.

Napheesa Collier couldn't wait to be a part of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team's rivalry with Notre Dame.

So on a cold December morning two years ago, less than a month after signing her letter of intent with the Huskies, Collier and her mother, Sarah, made a five-hour drive here from their home in St. Peters, Missouri. They bought their own tickets and ended up in the next-to-last row atop Purcell Pavilion across from the UConn bench.

"It was crazy being there and watching my future teammates play," Collier recalled.

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Vital sinks winning free throws as UConn comes back to beat Syracuse

Dec 5 | 9:29PM

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GEICO SportsNite: UConn vs. Cuse00:01:05

UConn men's basketball defeats Syracuse, 52-50, on the strength of a pair of late free throws at Madison Square Garden.

Christian Vital made two free throws with 2.2 seconds to play to give Connecticut a 52-50 victory over Syracuse on Monday night in the Tire Pro Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Andrew White III hit a 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds left to bring Syracuse into a 50-50 tie. Rodney Purvis missed a 3-point attempt for the Huskies but Vital was fouled on the rebound. Syracuse's final chance was a long inbounds pass that was stolen by Connecticut.

Purvis had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Huskies (4-4) while Jalen Adams had 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Kentan Facey had a career-high 13 rebounds.

Samuelson's better half comes through for Huskies

Connecticut Huskies forward Katie Lou Samuelson celebrates during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Tucker Center (Tallahassee). (Melina Vastola/USA Today Sports Images)

Katie Lou Samuelson didn't need many words Sunday to describe the first 6:27 of her performance against Texas.

"Useless," she said.

However, the number of words she used was more than the combined points and rebounds the University of Connecticut women's basketball team's sophomore guard had in that time. She did, though, have three turnovers, two fouls -- including a Flagrant 1 upon review -- and one seat on the bench for the rest of the first half.

Dec 5 | 6:37PM

As members of the Big East Conference, the Syracuse Orange and Connecticut Huskies played some of the most memorable games in college basketball history at Madison Square Garden.

But as they return to the Garden for a 7 p.m. game Monday, the Orange and Huskies will be more concerned about finding their identity than making history.

Syracuse, now in the Atlantic Coast Conference, entered this season with six new players among its top nine. After a 4-0 start against low- and mid-major teams, the Orange lost by a combined 31 points to 20th-ranked South Carolina at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and 17th-ranked Wisconsin at the Kohl Center.

The University of Connecticut women's basketball team was given the No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press poll released Monday.

On Wednesday, the Huskies can earn it.

The Huskies (7-0) jumped over Notre Dame into the top spot in the AP poll, receiving 18 first-place votes to the Irish's 15 and edging Notre Dame by two points (809-807). Notre Dame had a six-point lead (803-797) in total points and a 16-14 advantage in first-place votes (South Carolina received three) a week ago.

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Meg's Mailbag: Submit your UConn questions!

Dec 5 | 12:45PM

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SNY UConn Women's Basketball analyst Meghan Culmo will be answering fan questions later this week. To submit a question to Meghan, send an email to uconn@sny.tv or send us a tweet to @SNYtv using the hashtag #snyuconn.

Little goals lead to big game for Nurse

It's not like Kia Nurse hasn't scored 33 points in a game during her college days before.

On July 20, 2015, Nurse torched her University of Connecticut teammates Moriah Jefferson and Breanna Stewart and Team USA for 33 points to lead the Canada to its first Pan American Games gold medal.

The Huskies didn't need most or all of Nurse's UConn career high points against No. 15 DePaul Thursday night the way Team Canada did against the Americans during the Hamilton, Ontario, native's magical night at the old Maple Leafs Garden in Toronto. But the Huskies' junior guard needed the kind of performance she had in the 91-46 rout of the Blue Demons at Gampel Pavilion more than anything.

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UConn Trivia Question presented by Mercedes-Benz

Dec 2 | 8:57AM

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UConn Trivia: Unranked opponent00:00:39

In this edition of UConn Trivia, presented by Mercedes-Benz, we ask: who was the last unranked opponent to defeat the Huskies?

Question: Who is the last UConn player to score 40+ points in a game?

Click above to play the answer.

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Geno Auriemma Show presented by UCONN Health: Geno on statement games

Dec 2 | 12:08AM

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Geno Auriemma on statement games00:02:52

Geno Auriemma discusses what it means to win against top level teams early in the season.

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No. 2 UConn hammers No. 15 DePaul, 91-46

By Carl Adamec | Dec 1 | 8:45PM

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GEICO SportsNite: UConn WBB win00:00:41

UConn improves to 6-0 on the season with a 91-46 blowout win over DePaul University, led by 33 points from Kia Nurse.

Meg's Mailbag: Meghan Culmo answers your UConn questions!

Dec 1 | 2:45PM

Saniya Chong had a nice offensive game against Florida State (first game of season) scoring 16 points. Since then she has only scored 10 points in the last three games. What do you attribute that to as she doesn't look like she is looking to take a shot. Is it lack of confidence or Geno not asking her to score ? -- Janet W.

Meghan Culmo: Hi Janet W, thanks for writing! This is my first official reply! Saniya is incredibly talented offensively. Heck, she averaged 34 points a game her senior year in high school! But, at UConn you are expected to do more than score plus, UConn has many talented offensive weapons. If she wants to find more time on the floor my hunch is she needs to play better on the defensive end of the floor. Thanks again for writing!

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UConn Trivia Question presented by Mercedes-Benz

Dec 1 | 9:06AM

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UConn Trivia: 15 field goals00:00:49

In this edition of UConn Trivia, presented by Mercedes-Benz, we ask: who was the last UConn player to make 15 field goals in a game?

Question: Who is the last UConn player to make 15 field goals in a game?

Gabby Williams is aware nothing will be easy for the University of Connecticut women's basketball team Thursday night.
The second-ranked Huskies open their difficult December schedule against No. 15 DePaul at Gampel Pavilion (SNY, 7 p.m.). While UConn has dominated the series with the Blue Demons, having won 13 consecutive meetings since 2006 when they played as members of the Big East, a number of the games the past decade have been closer than the final scores would indicate.

Take their 2015 matchup in Chicago, for example. UConn saw a double-figure lead cut to five in the fourth quarter. It took a 3-pointer by Katie Lou Samuelson to spark a late surge that resulted in an 86-70 win.

Geno: We need a good, old-fashioned butt kicking

Connecticut Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma watches from the sideline as they takes on the Baylor Bears at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. (David Butler II)

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The rain came down hard at times outside the XL Center Tuesday night.

Inside, it was coach Geno Auriemma pouring cold water on his University of Connecticut women's basketball team, which seemed to need a bit of a wake-up call.

The second-ranked Huskies made it 80 wins in a row by beating Chattanooga 80-43. But the energy and effort wasn't what the Hall of Fame coach wanted and the lack of fire seemed to permeate into the crowd of 6,090, which watched quietly for the most part.

"That's the world we live in today," Auriemma said. "We used to be different. We used to be special, somewhat. We're like everyone else now. Our guys play when they're in the mood. They get in a defensive stance when they feel like it. The second half they felt like it. The first half they didn't. Hall of Fame coach or not, they don't care."

It hardly set a tone for the University of Connecticut women's basketball team's sophomore forward's performance.

Collier made her next 11 attempts for a career best in field goals and finished with a game-high 23 points as the second-ranked Huskies pushed their winning streak to 80 by defeating Chattanooga 80-43 at the XL Center.

Auriemma, mentor Foster meet again

Geno Auriemma was 24 years old when he accepted an invitation from Jim Foster to join his staff as an assistant coach with the Saint Joseph's University women's basketball team.

Thirty-eight years and 2,281 games as head coaches -- including seven against each other -- later, they are still crossing paths on the sidelines.

Who could have or would have guessed that 38 years ago?

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Meg's Mailbag: Submit your UConn questions!

Nov 29 | 9:45AM

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SNY UConn Women's Basketball analyst Meghan Culmo will be answering fan questions later this week. To submit a question to Meghan, send an email to uconn@sny.tv or send us a tweet to @SNYtv using the hashtag #snyuconn.

The University of Connecticut women's basketball team will likely be short-handed Tuesday night when it takes on Chattanooga at Hartford's XL Center.

Freshman Crystal Dangerfield is expected to miss the matchup with the Mocs as she goes through UConn's concussion protocol. Dangerfield has averaged nine points and 4.3 assists in 24.3 minutes off the bench for the second-ranked Huskies (4-0), who will go for their 80th consecutive win.

Without Dangerfield, freshman guard Molly Bent will get a long look from coach Geno Auriemma. Someone has to fill in those minutes, so why not the 5-foot-9 Centerville, Massachusetts, native?

Peoples a recruit with plenty to offer

Connecticut Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma watches from the sideline as they take on the LSU Tigers in the second half at XL Center. (David Butler II)

Anaya Peoples could sit back and relax and look over the more than 30 scholarship offers the Schlarman Academy sophomore has already received.

But that's not how the 5-foot-10 guard from Danville, Illinois, does things and it's why she is considered one of the top recruits in the Class of 2019.

"I think that with each offer it just inspires me to get into the gym and work harder," Peoples said. "I really appreciate them. But I also know I have a long way to go and that I have to get better."

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Struggling UConn wraps up season with 38-13 loss to Tulane

Nov 26 | 7:12PM

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GEICO SportsNite: UConn football00:00:51

UConn?s season ends with a six-game losing streak after falling to Tulane 38-13.

Tulane took advantage of a blocked punt and two interceptions of Donovan Williams to defeat UConn 38-13 Saturday in East Hartford in the season-ending game for both American Athletic Conference football teams.

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Top 2018 recruit Charli Collier commits to UConn

By Carl Adamec | Nov 26 | 2:07PM

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Charli Collier practices with USA Basketball. (USA Basketball)

Charli Collier can focus on her junior season at Barbers Hill High.

That's good news for the 6-foot-4 junior forward from Baytown, Texas, but was better news for the University of Connecticut women's basketball program.

Collier -- who is rated the No. 1 recruit by Prospect Nations, No. 2 by the Blue Star Index, and No. 7 by ESPN Hoopgurlz in the Class of 2018 -- announced on Saturday that she has made a verbal commitment to attend the University of Connecticut.

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UConn loses Maui Invitational fifth-place game to No. 13 Oregon

Nov 23 | 7:01PM

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GEICO SportsNite: UConn falls00:01:24

The UConn Huskies fell to No. 13 ranked Oregon, 79-69, dropping to 2-4 on the season.

Jalen Adams scored a game-high 27 points as UConn lost to No. 13 Oregon 79-69 in the Maui Invitational fifth-place game on Wednesday.

STORRS, Conn. -- There are times when no one can stop Gabby Williams, you can only hope to contain her. But in the University of Connecticut women's basketball team's first three games, the player most effective in doing that was herself.

The junior forward picked up three fouls in the first 4:21 of the opener against Florida State, two fouls in the opening 4:15 against Baylor, and two fouls in a 23-second span late in the first quarter against LSU.

While she was in a fouling mood coming into Tuesday night's game with Dayton, she was all smiles afterwards. She didn't commit a foul in 26 minutes and recorded her 10th career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds to go along with a career high five assists in No. 2 UConn's 98-65 victory over the Flyers at Gampel Pavilion.

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UConn Trivia Question presented by Mercedes-Benz

Nov 23 | 8:48AM

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UConn Trivia: Huskies leaders00:00:34

Who are the only four Huskies to finish their careers with 2,000-plus points and 1,000-plus rebounds?

Question: Who are the only 4 Huskies to finish their careers with 2,000+ points and 1,000+ rebounds?

Click above to play the answer.

Huskies stumble early, but cruise past Dayton, 98-65

The UConn Women's basketball team stayed undefeated with a convincing win over the University of Dayton, 98-65.

STORRS, Conn. -- For the first five minutes Tuesday night, Dayton looked like the club that gave the University of Connecticut women's basketball team fits in the 2015 NCAA tournament Elite Eight.

From there, the Huskies made the Flyers look like the team that opened this season with a loss to Quinnipiac.

Katie Lou Samuelson scored 29 points, making it back-to-back games with career bests, Napheesa Collier added 22, and Gabby Williams had a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds as No. 2 UConn rolled to a 98-65 win over Dayton before a crowd of 6,443 at Gampel Pavilion.

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UConn tops Chaminade, 93-82, in Maui Invitational

Nov 22 | 6:53PM

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GEICO SportsNite: UConn Men's BB00:01:13

The UConn men's basketball team bounces back with a win in the Maui Invitational over Chaminade, led by 23 points from Rodney Purvis.

Katie Lou Samuelson is coming off her highest scoring game when No. 2 UConn faces Dayton on Tuesday.

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UConn can't overcome slow start in loss to Oklahoma State

Nov 21 | 11:44PM

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GEICO SportsNite: UConn in Maui00:00:44

UConn men's basketball was defeated 98-90 in a matchup against Oklahoma State in the Maui Invitational.

The University of Connecticut men's basketball cut an 18-point deficit into single digits in the second half, but it was not enough as the Huskies lost to Oklahoma State 98-90 on Monday at Lahaina Civic Center.

Gordon hits 2,000; Huskies sweep AAC honors

Lexi Gordon reached the 2,000-point plateau in her high school career Friday. The University of Connecticut women's basketball team's Class of 2017 signee would have gladly traded a bunch of them for a couple of wins.

L.D. Bell High's all-time leading scorer hit the milestone with a layup off of a steal early in the Lady Raiders' pool-play game against Prestonwood Academy in the Allen Lady Eagle Hoopfest. The 6-foot guard/forward from Fort Worth, Texas, finished with 16 points but L.D. Bell fell 56-53. She would add 20 points in a loss to Cedar Hill in the gold bracket quarterfinals Friday afternoon.

"It was tough," a tired-sounding Gordon said after the Lady Raiders fell to 3-4.

As Kia Nurse dribbled out the final seconds of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team's 72-61 win over No. 2 Baylor Thursday night, the crowd of 9,049 -- which had been on its feet for much of the stretch drive -- let out one final roar.

The cheering didn't stop once the third-ranked Huskies reached their locker room.

"We had to grind it out to beat this team," UConn junior Gabby Williams said. "We didn't have to do that last year, and maybe a couple of times my freshman year. It was a lot of fun because so many guys were involved and we had so many key plays."

Freshman Crystal Dangerfield came off the bench to pace four players in double figures, and UConn (2-0) used a decisive 16-2 run to break the game's last tie in the fourth quarter.

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UConn shut out for second straight game in loss to BC

Nov 19 | 4:25PM

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(Brian Fluharty)

BOSTON (AP) -- Patrick Towles passed for 183 yards and a touchdown in his final home game, Davon Jones added a rushing score and Boston College kept alive its bowl hopes will a 30-0 win over UConn on Saturday.

STORRS, Conn. -- Bria Hartley had a glow about her Thursday night as she sat in the first row behind the University of Connecticut women's basketball team's bench Thursday night, and not just because she is pregnant with her first child.

The two-time Huskies' All-American and national champion and current WNBA Washington Mystics guard knew better than anyone how CrystalDangerfield was feeling after the freshman torched No. 2 Baylor for 19 points in third-ranked UConn's 72-61 win at Gampel Pavilion.

On Nov. 16, 2010, UConn erased an eight-point second-half deficit and defeated Baylor 65-64 at the XL Center in Hartford. It was the Huskies' second victory over the Bears in eight months, No. 77 -- like Thursday night's -- and No. 80 of their NCAA-record 90-game winning streak. Then it was another freshman, Hartley, who playing in her second game at UConn led a late charge as she scored eight of her nine points in a 1:47 span with her 3-pointer with 2:09 to go giving the Huskies the lead for good.

Dangerfield makes loud first impression

For many in the crowd of 9,049 at Gampel Pavilion Thursday night, watching Crystal Dangerfield in action in her regular season home debut with the University of Connecticut women's basketball team was love at her first sight.

But Katie Lou Samuelson has seen this before from Dangerfield. The two were teammates and roommates with the 2013 United States U-16 national team that won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico.

So Samuelson was hardly surprised when Dangerfield came in with a breakout performance. The freshman guard had 19 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 30 minutes off the bench as the third-ranked Huskies downed No. 2 Baylor 72-61 to push their winning streak to 77.

UConn nets season's first victory against Loyola Marymount, 65-62

Nov 18 | 3:04AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- After losing the first two games of the season at home, UConn was in danger of dropping its third straight.

But a late rally ignited the Huskies to their first win of the season.

Terry Larrier scored 14 points, including the go-ahead basket, and UConn held on to beat Loyola Marymount 65-62 on Thursday night.

"We were scrambling a bit at the end and we were running on an empty tank," Larrier said. "At the end of the game we were trying to stop them from getting open-look 3s and it's definitely nice to get that first win."

No. 3 UConn women pull away from No. 2 Baylor, 72-61

By Carl Adamec | Nov 17 | 8:30PM

STORRS, Conn. -- If the University of Connecticut women's basketball team's goal is to get better each day, mission accomplished.

After a shaky finish in their season opener at No. 12 Florida State Monday, the third-ranked Huskies closed like a champion Thursday night under the view of their 11th and newest national championship banner.

Freshman Crystal Dangerfield came off the bench for 19 points, five assists, and a pair of steals in a stirring 30 minutes as UConn used a decisive 16-2 fourth-quarter run to break the game's last tie and stun No. 2 Baylor 72-61 before a raucous 9,049 at Gampel Pavilion.

"We were in an attack mode more tonight," UConn guard Katie Lou Samuelson said. "In the fourth quarter we decided that we were the ones who were going to set the pace. We were going to control it. Against Florida State, there were some moments that we thought, 'We can't let them score,' and we were kind of scared of what they would do. We embraced the fact that we would be ready to play the last several minutes."